The Royal Noise

The Royal Noise takes us on a time traveling adventure to a distant future where vehicles are flying, people are teleporting, holographic communication has taken precedent, and the soundtrack to our lives, provided by The Royal Noise, is extra terrestrial in nature – Outerspaciopsychadelicajazzyfunk (outer - space – e-o-psychadelica -jazzy-funk).

The other day a friend of mine asked me where I find all the music I listen to. I told him I research; just as if I was doing research for work, education purposes, or self enlightenment. I take my music just as serious as any other professional. His response was simple, accurate, but all the while ignorant – “But you have to filter through so much terrible s**t, it’s a pain. Why can’t there just be a place where it’s nothing but good music”.

Nothing worthwhile comes with ease.

It’s just like those who mine for gold. Travelling thousands of miles to set up camp, construct the sluice box, dig through all the top mud, to get down to the pay dirt. The reward is only as gratifying as the work put into it. With this new album, “Unbreakable”, I can assure you, The Royal Noise has put in the work. They’ve done more than their due diligence. They’ve released their souls through their instruments. You can feel their passion, dedication, education, with every tempo, scale, progression, note, sound, song.

You don’t need lyrics when you can make the instruments sing

I remember the first time I heard Umphrey’s McGee, all I could think of was man, their instruments can f***** sing. This Royal Noise’s album, “Unbreakable”, has that same vibe. With every song, each member has a moment to sing regardless of the tempo, time signature, scale, or direction. Johan Harvey (Guitar/synth), Mike Labombard (saxophones), Rodrigo Pichardo (Bass), Andrew Toy (Drums) are extremely talented musicians who complement one another. Everyone knows when to back down and let the other “sing”, or when to puff their chest out, step in front and strut their stuff. If you don’t want to take my word for it, as it states on Jambase, “The Royal Noise forges an ebullient fusion of sinewy funk, gritty jazz, psychedelic rock and live hip hop elements with a distinctly southern flavor reminiscent of funk fusion acts like Herbie Hancock, Lost Tribe, Lettuce and Mother Funk Conspiracy”. To be compared to legendary artist/band such as Herbie Hancock and Lettuce may seem absurd at first, but not after you listen to their album, “Unbreakable”, or see them live. “Their high energy performances deliver heavy grooves, genre blending composition, intricate synchronism, incessant experimentation and top notch musicianship that sets them apart from their peers and keeps avid listeners returning to shows,” states Jambands.com. As they state to Bill Deyoung at Noteworthy, “That rings true for the philosophy of the band. It’s always this ever-beingimprovised and moving forward kind of machine. Don’t ever play it the same way twice, that’s the test. How can we take the bones of this song and do it differently?” If that statement doesn’t make you want to listen to them and see The Royal Noise perform live, I’m not sure what will.

“Unbreakable” is driven and creative in nature. It gives you a taste of constructed improvisation, stunning composition and fine musician carpentry. Song to song whales like an on flowing composition. In the beginning of the album you jump on an unidentified flying object soon to realize you’re aboard the Funkatron. From song to song you traverse the depths of space diving into a bit of jazz, soul, hip hop, and electronica. Most of these spaces have been visited, but not like this. The album forces you to sit, ponder, and wonder. The end of “Unbreakable” brings you back down to earth; to come to the reality of standing in a crowd, listening through speakers, headphones, that yes, a band, human made, has given you the ability to traverse through the different depths of musical astrology. But don’t take it from me, witness for yourself.

If you want to know how good something is, expose it at random

My favorite time discovering music is when I hear something new, unexpected, different and it moves me; grabs me by the ears forcing me to listen. As a result, I always play my music at random for others, to witness their take. I played The Royal Noise’s, “Unbreakable”, for some strangers, colleagues and new friends. Here are some of the reactions.

1) Andirodack Tea

a. “I expected to hear James Brown’s voice”

b. “It’s like funk and light metal combined, but then it takes you back to that easy groove”

2) Dirt McGirt (my favorite song on the album)

a. “ODB would be proud”

b. “Definitely dirty and old and you could say bastard being born through wedlock between funk and jazz. Oooo smooth man”

c. “The horns, the organ, the guitar, everything in this song is perfect”

3) Unbreakable (my second favorite on the album)

a. “They remind me of the funk and jazz String Ch - Leeway's Home Grown Music Network

The Royal Noise takes us on a time traveling adventure to a distant future where vehicles are flying, people are teleporting, holographic communication has taken precedent, and the soundtrack to our lives, provided by The Royal Noise, is extra terrestrial in nature – Outerspaciopsychadelicajazzyfunk (outer - space – e-o-psychadelica -jazzy-funk).

The other day a friend of mine asked me where I find all the music I listen to. I told him I research; just as if I was doing research for work, education purposes, or self enlightenment. I take my music just as serious as any other professional. His response was simple, accurate, but all the while ignorant – “But you have to filter through so much terrible s**t, it’s a pain. Why can’t there just be a place where it’s nothing but good music”.

Nothing worthwhile comes with ease.

It’s just like those who mine for gold. Travelling thousands of miles to set up camp, construct the sluice box, dig through all the top mud, to get down to the pay dirt. The reward is only as gratifying as the work put into it. With this new album, “Unbreakable”, I can assure you, The Royal Noise has put in the work. They’ve done more than their due diligence. They’ve released their souls through their instruments. You can feel their passion, dedication, education, with every tempo, scale, progression, note, sound, song.

You don’t need lyrics when you can make the instruments sing

I remember the first time I heard Umphrey’s McGee, all I could think of was man, their instruments can f***** sing. This Royal Noise’s album, “Unbreakable”, has that same vibe. With every song, each member has a moment to sing regardless of the tempo, time signature, scale, or direction. Johan Harvey (Guitar/synth), Mike Labombard (saxophones), Rodrigo Pichardo (Bass), Andrew Toy (Drums) are extremely talented musicians who complement one another. Everyone knows when to back down and let the other “sing”, or when to puff their chest out, step in front and strut their stuff. If you don’t want to take my word for it, as it states on Jambase, “The Royal Noise forges an ebullient fusion of sinewy funk, gritty jazz, psychedelic rock and live hip hop elements with a distinctly southern flavor reminiscent of funk fusion acts like Herbie Hancock, Lost Tribe, Lettuce and Mother Funk Conspiracy”. To be compared to legendary artist/band such as Herbie Hancock and Lettuce may seem absurd at first, but not after you listen to their album, “Unbreakable”, or see them live. “Their high energy performances deliver heavy grooves, genre blending composition, intricate synchronism, incessant experimentation and top notch musicianship that sets them apart from their peers and keeps avid listeners returning to shows,” states Jambands.com. As they state to Bill Deyoung at Noteworthy, “That rings true for the philosophy of the band. It’s always this ever-beingimprovised and moving forward kind of machine. Don’t ever play it the same way twice, that’s the test. How can we take the bones of this song and do it differently?” If that statement doesn’t make you want to listen to them and see The Royal Noise perform live, I’m not sure what will.

“Unbreakable” is driven and creative in nature. It gives you a taste of constructed improvisation, stunning composition and fine musician carpentry. Song to song whales like an on flowing composition. In the beginning of the album you jump on an unidentified flying object soon to realize you’re aboard the Funkatron. From song to song you traverse the depths of space diving into a bit of jazz, soul, hip hop, and electronica. Most of these spaces have been visited, but not like this. The album forces you to sit, ponder, and wonder. The end of “Unbreakable” brings you back down to earth; to come to the reality of standing in a crowd, listening through speakers, headphones, that yes, a band, human made, has given you the ability to traverse through the different depths of musical astrology. But don’t take it from me, witness for yourself.

If you want to know how good something is, expose it at random

My favorite time discovering music is when I hear something new, unexpected, different and it moves me; grabs me by the ears forcing me to listen. As a result, I always play my music at random for others, to witness their take. I played The Royal Noise’s, “Unbreakable”, for some strangers, colleagues and new friends. Here are some of the reactions.

1) Andirodack Tea

a. “I expected to hear James Brown’s voice”

b. “It’s like funk and light metal combined, but then it takes you back to that easy groove”

2) Dirt McGirt (my favorite song on the album)

a. “ODB would be proud”

b. “Definitely dirty and old and you could say bastard being born through wedlock between funk and jazz. Oooo smooth man”

c. “The horns, the organ, the guitar, everything in this song is perfect”

3) Unbreakable (my second favorite on the album)

a. “They remind me of the funk and jazz String Ch - Leeway's Home Grown Music Network

In some ways The Royal Noise’s sophomore effort Unbreakable picks up where their 2012 debut Keep On Moving left off: groove, groove, and more groove – with a side order of groove and a frothy mug of groove to wash it down with. Guitarist Johan Harvey and sax/keyboard wizard Mike LaBombard are masters of quickly erecting melodic base camps before turning their songs into sonic explorations – but even their wildest of adventures remains in radio contact with the triple-barreled rhythm machine of bassist Darius Shepherd, drummer Jonathan Proffitt, and percussionist Duane Borba. The result is disguised as a democracy – the 11 cuts on Unbreakable showcase the band rather than spotlight any one player – but, truth be known, it’s actually a kingdom where all bow to the beat.

For example, dig the classic funk guitar and B-3 sound that dominates the straight stretches of “Adirondack Tea” – before the tune fishtails into the sharp hairpins and doublebacks where the sax and bass join forces (shadowed by Harvey’s guitar). On one hand the changes are abrupt; on the other, it’s the kind of stuff that The Royal Noise excels at – and, most importantly, the groove reigns supreme throughout it all.

If you’ve ever felt like running for cover during the drum rage of Gov’t Mule’s “Thorazine Shuffle”, then you have a sense of the raw power of “Foster’s Flop”: it’s all stop-and-go fun and games until about the 2:45 mark when the drums and bass put their heads down and dig in. Harvey adds wallop to the beat while LaBombard plays the living guts out of his sax with spiraling lines and mad wails; for the next couple of minutes, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any possible escape except group implosion, yet the quintet manages to bring the beast in eventually for a gentle landing – steamy and sweat-soaked, but safe.

“Fields Of Green” starts off with the softness of a Sunday morning before evolving backwards into the heart of a funky/cool Saturday night (listen to Borba’s hand drumming); Harvey’s guitar provides celestial navigation for “Orbital”; “Bop Devil” is truly a matter of worlds colliding in the nicest of ways – cool-daddy horn rubbing up against a wide-hipped bass line; there’s a whole movie tucked into the angular funkiness of “Jumbled Towers”; and “Unbreakable” tests its elasticity with a morph from joyous romp to greasy hip-grind to full-fledged freakout … breaking clear for one last dance in the sunshine.

That ability to effortlessly pull off serious sonic shape-shifting is just exactly what The Royal Noise appeared to have been blessed with at birth – as documented on Keep On Moving. Unbreakable finds the band even tighter, more eclectic (it’s true), and completely in control of the powerful sound they generate.

The bottom line: believe it or not, they just keep getting better.

*****

Brian Robbins enjoys a frothy mug of funky groove over at www.brian-robbins.com. - Jambands.com

In some ways The Royal Noise’s sophomore effort Unbreakable picks up where their 2012 debut Keep On Moving left off: groove, groove, and more groove – with a side order of groove and a frothy mug of groove to wash it down with. Guitarist Johan Harvey and sax/keyboard wizard Mike LaBombard are masters of quickly erecting melodic base camps before turning their songs into sonic explorations – but even their wildest of adventures remains in radio contact with the triple-barreled rhythm machine of bassist Darius Shepherd, drummer Jonathan Proffitt, and percussionist Duane Borba. The result is disguised as a democracy – the 11 cuts on Unbreakable showcase the band rather than spotlight any one player – but, truth be known, it’s actually a kingdom where all bow to the beat.

For example, dig the classic funk guitar and B-3 sound that dominates the straight stretches of “Adirondack Tea” – before the tune fishtails into the sharp hairpins and doublebacks where the sax and bass join forces (shadowed by Harvey’s guitar). On one hand the changes are abrupt; on the other, it’s the kind of stuff that The Royal Noise excels at – and, most importantly, the groove reigns supreme throughout it all.

If you’ve ever felt like running for cover during the drum rage of Gov’t Mule’s “Thorazine Shuffle”, then you have a sense of the raw power of “Foster’s Flop”: it’s all stop-and-go fun and games until about the 2:45 mark when the drums and bass put their heads down and dig in. Harvey adds wallop to the beat while LaBombard plays the living guts out of his sax with spiraling lines and mad wails; for the next couple of minutes, it doesn’t seem as if there’s any possible escape except group implosion, yet the quintet manages to bring the beast in eventually for a gentle landing – steamy and sweat-soaked, but safe.

“Fields Of Green” starts off with the softness of a Sunday morning before evolving backwards into the heart of a funky/cool Saturday night (listen to Borba’s hand drumming); Harvey’s guitar provides celestial navigation for “Orbital”; “Bop Devil” is truly a matter of worlds colliding in the nicest of ways – cool-daddy horn rubbing up against a wide-hipped bass line; there’s a whole movie tucked into the angular funkiness of “Jumbled Towers”; and “Unbreakable” tests its elasticity with a morph from joyous romp to greasy hip-grind to full-fledged freakout … breaking clear for one last dance in the sunshine.

That ability to effortlessly pull off serious sonic shape-shifting is just exactly what The Royal Noise appeared to have been blessed with at birth – as documented on Keep On Moving. Unbreakable finds the band even tighter, more eclectic (it’s true), and completely in control of the powerful sound they generate.

The bottom line: believe it or not, they just keep getting better.

*****

Brian Robbins enjoys a frothy mug of funky groove over at www.brian-robbins.com. - Jambands.com

What you realize not long into Keep On Moving, the debut album by The Royal Noise, is that the whole band – the whole damn band – is a pack of rhythm devils. And I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff, like the scary telepathy going on among drummer Jonathan Proffitt, percussionist Andrew Robertson, and bassist Darius Shepherd (those three are so deadly in-sync I bet they finish each other’s sentences). I mean, listen to Frank Quinn’s tasty keyboard work or Mike LaBombard’s soul-soaked sax playing (and some fine B3, as well): they can be as melodic as hell, but it’s all about the groove first and foremost. Or take guitarist Johan Harvey, who can wukka-wukka a wah pedal right off its hinges or slather on some creamy leads as needed – the man is another slave to the pocket if there ever was one.Yep: a clear case of a half-dozen souls consumed by percussion poltergeists … and there are only two things they could have done: call an exorcist or form a kick-ass jazz/funk band. Fortunately for us, The Royal Noise gave in to the beat beast and did the latter. Masters of both stop-on-a-dime pre-arranged shape-shifts and let-it-flow-for-now jams, The Royal Noise know how to keep things interesting without making it too busy. Consider “Fish Grease (Don’t Freeze)”: it doesn’t take but the first minute to establish the tune’s gooey funkiness – from there, LaBombard is let loose to blow, blow, blow a living gale of sax. Harvey and the keys step in with a lurching Frankenstein rhythm that challenges the drums … but it’s no problem: the groove is recaptured, no sweat. The stop-and-go of “Be Yourself” establishes the band’s talent for moving as one, exploding into the powerful main theme of “Ten Fidy!” just as naturally as can be – a showcase for some fretboard twists by Harvey and a Latin-flavored sax romp by LaBombard. “Drop That Catfoot” is another great example of complex rhythm switch-ups without clutter; Shepherd’s bass leads the way along “Congress St, 2a.m.” with the coolest of gaits before giving way to a tension-filled final minute; “Ham Sandwich” may make you think of Galactic at their funkiest; and “Flying” is just plain beautiful.On the album-closing “Back At The Bakery”, Proffitt and Robertson lead the way through a “Baba Jingo”-like churn. Shepherd triples-up the song’s driving pulse while Quinn’s wailing keys only add to the urgency. Ever so gently, the tempo begins to ease, gradually slowing enough to let LaBombard’s sultry sax slink through. A pause, a few long deep breaths, miles-deep cymbal sizzle, and a big suspended organ chord leads to funky-but-clean guitar by Harvey; waa- woomp goes the bass and the band achieves a gentle lift off … having gone effortlessly from a sweat-soaked-and-crazy 1:00 AM tumble to a gentle Sunday afternoon walk in the park. How does The Royal Noise do that? I don’t know, but I’m glad they do - Jambands.com

What you realize not long into Keep On Moving, the debut album by The Royal Noise, is that the whole band – the whole damn band – is a pack of rhythm devils. And I’m not just talking about the obvious stuff, like the scary telepathy going on among drummer Jonathan Proffitt, percussionist Andrew Robertson, and bassist Darius Shepherd (those three are so deadly in-sync I bet they finish each other’s sentences). I mean, listen to Frank Quinn’s tasty keyboard work or Mike LaBombard’s soul-soaked sax playing (and some fine B3, as well): they can be as melodic as hell, but it’s all about the groove first and foremost. Or take guitarist Johan Harvey, who can wukka-wukka a wah pedal right off its hinges or slather on some creamy leads as needed – the man is another slave to the pocket if there ever was one.Yep: a clear case of a half-dozen souls consumed by percussion poltergeists … and there are only two things they could have done: call an exorcist or form a kick-ass jazz/funk band. Fortunately for us, The Royal Noise gave in to the beat beast and did the latter. Masters of both stop-on-a-dime pre-arranged shape-shifts and let-it-flow-for-now jams, The Royal Noise know how to keep things interesting without making it too busy. Consider “Fish Grease (Don’t Freeze)”: it doesn’t take but the first minute to establish the tune’s gooey funkiness – from there, LaBombard is let loose to blow, blow, blow a living gale of sax. Harvey and the keys step in with a lurching Frankenstein rhythm that challenges the drums … but it’s no problem: the groove is recaptured, no sweat. The stop-and-go of “Be Yourself” establishes the band’s talent for moving as one, exploding into the powerful main theme of “Ten Fidy!” just as naturally as can be – a showcase for some fretboard twists by Harvey and a Latin-flavored sax romp by LaBombard. “Drop That Catfoot” is another great example of complex rhythm switch-ups without clutter; Shepherd’s bass leads the way along “Congress St, 2a.m.” with the coolest of gaits before giving way to a tension-filled final minute; “Ham Sandwich” may make you think of Galactic at their funkiest; and “Flying” is just plain beautiful.On the album-closing “Back At The Bakery”, Proffitt and Robertson lead the way through a “Baba Jingo”-like churn. Shepherd triples-up the song’s driving pulse while Quinn’s wailing keys only add to the urgency. Ever so gently, the tempo begins to ease, gradually slowing enough to let LaBombard’s sultry sax slink through. A pause, a few long deep breaths, miles-deep cymbal sizzle, and a big suspended organ chord leads to funky-but-clean guitar by Harvey; waa- woomp goes the bass and the band achieves a gentle lift off … having gone effortlessly from a sweat-soaked-and-crazy 1:00 AM tumble to a gentle Sunday afternoon walk in the park. How does The Royal Noise do that? I don’t know, but I’m glad they do - Jambands.com